Transformation
by DarkSeductress
Summary: Kankuro ponders the changes in Sakura's person as she saves his life. He wonders if Naruto and Sasuke will ever appreciate the woman, she has become. Spoilers for manga volumes 28 and 29.
1. Transformation

Title: Transformation

By: DarkSeductress/darkemptyheart

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: onesided Kankuro+Sakura

Summary: Kankuro ponders the changes in Sakura's person as she saves his life. He wonders if Naruto and Sasuke will ever appreciate the woman, she has become.

Spoilers: For Manga volumes 28 and 29

Sakura Haruno saved Kankuro of the Sand's life. It was something he never thought would have been possible. He remembered her from the Chuunin exams. The pink-haired little girl, who was having a stupid, overly-emotional feud with her former best-friend. Calling the match melodramatic, would have been an understatement. She did show some strength though, when she knocked the blonde out of her body, that Kankuro could admit took a lot of fighting spirit.

So he knew there was substance in her, a tough core so to say. He just never thought she would ever be the one to save his life. It shocked him when he saw her pinched face over him, her hands over his body. Such concentration and seriousness there. A medical-nin...he would have never guessed; the apprentice of the legendary Tsunade...that was kind of unbelievable, but true.

The manner in which she took over the situation, commanding the Sand shinobi was admirable. The shinobi of Sand could be intimidating and stubborn, but for them to listen to her and follow her lead, said a lot for her demeanor and character. Sakura Haruno had grown so much, but she was the friend of Naruto Uzumaki after all, and that damn kid inspired everyone to better their person and reach for something more. If Uzumaki could change his brother's life upon knowing Gaara for such a short time, surely he could have a dramatic effect on someone, who was his teammate.

So this transformation in her shouldn't be such of a surprise. Her name, Kankuro thought, fit her well: a flower, that had blossomed gracefully. She had smiled as she helped him sit up to drink the antidote. She told him to rest, but Kankuro knew rest was a long way off with his brother possibly dead and her hands on his back.

If anyone could bring his brother back, it was Naruto and her. They could do it. He asked Naruto to bring his brother back, but he saw her eyes: she was not to be counted out. Her eyes told him, she was not a child to hide behind her teammate any longer. Her eyes gave him the same promise that Naruto stated aloud. She would give her life to bring Gaara back.

Kankuro wondered as he watched her leave room: did Naruto know what he had in front of him? Would Uchiha Sasuke ever be able to appreciate what he carelessly left behind? Would the pounding in Kankuro's chest ever stop...

Author's Note: This fic was written as an experiment. I never see any good heterosexual fics containing Kankuro and I wondered what female would the be the most logcial for my writing style and which female I could most see him involved with. So I picked Sakura, she saved his life in the second-part of the manga and you have to think her being there and the changes in her would be a shock to everyone around. So this isn't really a romantic fic per say, but more of a door-opener if I ever want to have a core for the pairing. I might write a companion or sequel (don't quote me on it).


	2. Harsh Reality

"Harsh Reality"

By: DarkSeductress/darkemptyheart

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: one-sided Kankuro+Sakura

Summary: Sequel to "Transformation". While Kankuro is waiting for Sakura's team to return with Gaara, he ponders all the reasons why he and Sakura would never work.

Spoilers: For Japanese manga

Author's Note: This piece has a bit more angst in it, but anyone's who has ever been attracted to another person knows this is part of the process: first you notice the person and then you try rationalize all the reasons it would not work and eventually end up saying to hell with it.

Kankuro didn't know what he would say the next time he saw Sakura Haruno. It's not like he had thought about it. So much had gone on after her team's departure from Sand Village. First, he had to concentrate on resting and healing as she suggested and then, he had to help Temari patrol and protect the village. In between all that, came the torturous wait for Gaara's return and the uncertainty of whether his brother would be breathing or a corpse.

Kankuro had to admit, the thought of the pink-haired woman hadn't completely disappeared from his mind. When he was alone in his room resting or when he was on patrol, she would drift to him. Images of her face would come to mind like the way she bit her lip or the determination in her eyes, but most importantly her hands.

Hands were odd things that most people didn't notice, but being a puppeteer Kankuro was always aware of people's hands, since he depended on his own so much. He noticed the way people used hands to gesture when they talked, he noticed if a person gestured wildly with their hands or used their hands to help them speak, he noticed if people let their hands dangle by their sides aimlessly, he noticed if someone played with their hands constantly. Hands were just as expressive as faces and sometimes told life stories.

Sakura's hands were gentle when she touched him. Her fingers were long and slender, her palms hadn't felt rough. He was sure her finger tips probably held callouses, it was something that couldn't be helped in their profession. He noticed her fingernails were trimmed short, but a bit jagged showing she sometimes chewed on them. He noticed that her hands were always busy: sometimes one would rest on her hip or she'd use her hands to gesture towards or at someone as she spoke.

He liked her hands, but he tried not to think about them and her. Thinking of Sakura Haruno was worth a lot more trouble than it was probably worth, of that Kankuro was sure. It wasn't that Kankuro didn't like trouble, he had no problems causing it or dealing with it. Kankuro just preferred to face harsh realities and not get caught up in useless infatuations.

Chances were she was convinced that she was still in love with Sasuke Uchiha, despite all that had taken place. Kankuro also knew he wasn't her type. He was a puppeteer and he knew puppets were akin to dolls in some people's minds and women didn't exactly find it sexy. He had no blood-line limit or special ambitions. Kankuro didn't want to be Kazekage after his brother. He didn't exactly know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, except be by his siblings side to help when they needed him.

The chances of him and Sakura getting together or even getting along were slim to none. So Kankuro thought there was no need for him to ponder her hands or her face, thus he hadn't given much thought as to what he should say to her when she returned. When she did return the thought retreated further into the abyss of his mind, as Gaara's death became most important.

Even then, she was not far from his thoughts. He caught glimpses of her face as everyone stood over Gaara's body, trying to decide how best to proceed. Her face was sad and stricken. Their eyes met once and hers were full of regret and glistened with unshed tears. Her hands, he noticed, were clenched together.

How stupid and callous was it of him to focus on her when his brother's corpse laid before him? He should be mourning or trying to find a way out of an impossible situation instead of staring at her with such interest.

Kankuro's guilt only multiplied once Chiyo restored Gaara's life with Naruto Uzumaki's help. He should have been of some help, instead of staring at Sakura. He reminded himself of all the things that could and most likely would go wrong if he tried to get involved with her: she was probably still in love with Uchiha, Uzumaki and Hatake would probably be possessive, and they would probably bicker.

Kankuro's harsh reality only served to make him grumpy because even with the impossible odds and all the things that could go wrong, he still couldn't deny the fact that he found her alluring and attractive. Besides, Kankuro of the Sand was not known for having a defeatist attitude: he was a natural born fighter. Kankuro liked to gamble, even if the odds weren't in his favor, this fact was truly his harsh reality.


	3. Curious

Title: Curious

By: DarkSeductress/darkemptyheart

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: one-sided Kankuro Sakura

Summary: Sakura's point of view on meeting Kankuro again after 2 and ½ years, and the curious paths Inner Sakura and her thoughts lead her on.

Spoilers: For Manga volumes 28 and 29

The first time Sakura Haruno saw Kankuro of the Sand, it made her very nervous. Never in her short life had she seen such a bizarre looking boy, who exuded such arrogance. The make-up made him look like a fierce demon and his chilling smirk didn't make him look any friendlier. She knew just by looking at him, he wasn't someone Naruto could easily defeat. Sakura and Inner Sakura both found him very creepy.

It was an opinion Sakura kept for years until she visited Suna Village on the mission to save Gaara. The second time she laid eyes on Kankuro of the Sand was startling to say the least. He was lying on a bed without make-up, disrobed, and injured. This time he made her very curious. As she neared the bed, she realized the creepy boy had turned into a not-so-bad looking man. She shook her head and slapped a muzzle on Inner Sakura; now was not the time for thoughts like that.

With that in mind, Sakura began the task of healing Kankuro. Throughout the process of removing the poison and preparing the antidote, Sakura had to the fight distraction Kankuro presented shirtless, staring at her intensely. Why the hell was he staring at her in the first place? Surely he remembered her. Hadn't really changed that much, she wondered as she helped him sit up to drink the antidote.

She took a moment to scrutinize him and couldn't kill the thought that he wasn't exactly ugly; in fact he was nice looking without all the make-up. He wasn't thin and lanky like Sasuke or fat-no-big-boned like Chouji. Kankuro was solid with barely-there muscular definition; she guessed he wasn't chiseled because his puppets did most of the work, still he wasn't bad. His eyes were the most unusual shade of green, almost turquoise, set off by a full body desert tan. Inner Sakura wondered if the tanned nude. Sakura quickly squashed that thought with a blush. What was getting into her? She had a mission and she was in love with Sasuke. Besides, Kankuro was supposed to be creepy anyway. Her mind was definitely going down odd paths today, she thought with a frown helping him lie back down.

Despite the weirdness of Sakura's thoughts, she couldn't help watching Kankuro as her team prepared to depart to follow after Gaara's kidnappers. She listened as Naruto gave his trademark, but unbreakable word to bring Gaara back. After she playfully rolled her eyes at Naruto's "good guy" pose, she couldn't help meeting Kankuro's stare. With her eyes, Sakura gave her own oath to bring his brother back regardless of the consequences. She gave him a smile filled with determination and grit; she wasn't to be overlooked anymore. He nodded at her before closing his eyes to rest. Sakura's smile lost its hard-edge as she gave him one last look.

Curious, she thought, why the hell is she so curious about Kankuro of the Sand? Maybe she'd have time to figure it out eventually, or maybe, just maybe, explore it; wouldn't hurt anything, besides no man including Sasuke had ever stared at her that way before.

Author's Note: I deeply apologize to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and wondered if I was ever going to update again. I'm sorry, but to put it simply: life got in the way and I lost my muse. I won't bog you down with details; just know there were serious enough changes to make me forsake my writing, a thing I hold dear to my heart. To everyone who has reviewed and added this story and my other Kankuro/Sakura pieces to their Favorites, you are what kept this story in the back of my mind. You are what made try and try to write something and inspire my muse, until finally….it happened. Thank you. This part is dedicated to you. 


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